Swahili is a national or official language in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda; and is widely spoken in Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Swahili is also an official language of the African Union. Although Swahili only has around fifteen million L1 people, it serves as the lingua franca of most of Southeast Africa. For those who may not know, Swahili is a Bantu language.

Here's a map:
Dark green is official or widely spoken, light green is periphery.

So <mtoto> is three syllables /m̩.tɔ.tɔ/
<haina> is also three syllables /hɑ.i.nɑ/
<mbuzi> is two syllables /ᵐbu.zi/
<kinywa> is also two syllables /ki.ɲʷɑ/

Non-Bantu words and syllable breaks
<askari> /ɑs.kɑ.ri/
<kaskazini> /kɑs.kɑ.zi.ni/
<bendi> /ɓɛ.ⁿdi/
Non-Bantu words that enter Swahili come as close to Swahili phonotactics as possible. Also, most Swahili words of non-Bantu origin will end in a vowel. In the example above, <bendi> comes from English <band> and means “band, orchestra”. Very few Swahili words end in a consonant, and they are all loan words.

Syllabic <m n>
For the most part it is easy to tell when <m n> are syllabic or prenasalized. If <m> or <n> come before a consonant that is not prenasalized, it is syllabic. So <nchi> is two syllables /n̩.t͡ʃi/; <simpendi> is four syllables /si.m̩.pɛ.ⁿdi/. Some words look like they are prenasalized, but aren’t, such as <mbwa>, which is two syllables /m̩.ɓʷɑ/. These words are few and far between, though.

Syllable Stress
The stress in Swahili words is always on the penultimate syllable. Syllabic <m> and <n> can be stressed, so the stress on <nchi> is on the <n>, /'n̩.t͡ʃi/. The stress is on the word’s penultimate syllable, this includes any and all agglutination. So <nyumba> is /'ɲu.ᵐbɑ/, <nyumbani> is /ɲu.'ᵐbɑ.ni/ (consequently, the word’s noun class has changed as well. We’ll get to that much later).

Noun Classes 1 and 2
Swahili nouns all belong to one of eighteen noun classes. Although this may sound like a lot at first glance, three of these noun classes are directly related to placement and motion, and half of the remaining noun classes are the plural form of singular classes.

Noun classes 1 and 2 are also often referred to as the m/wa classes. Nouns that belong to noun class 1 are singular, and always generally refer to humans. Nouns of noun class 2 are the plural forms of noun class 1.

Verbal subjects and objects
Swahili, like other Bantu languages, have verbal concordance. Concord is like declension, in that verbal concordance is in line with noun class. If that makes sense. Sadly, Swahili grammar isn’t too well documented, and most books have conflicting terminology. I’m going to stick with concord, though. Class 1 and 2 concord will be further explained below, but for now keep this chart handy.

Verbs: Past, Present, Future and Perfect
Swahili verbs can contain a lot of information, such as tense, aspect, mood, person, subject, object or indirect object, as well as negation. Swahili verbs have an infinitive form, which is <ku> attached to the verb stem (rarely <kw>). For now we will only look at the past, present and future positive indicatives, and only with simple subjects, or subjects and objects. So as to not overload, we will only mostly use examples with noun class 1 and 2. Likewise, this lesson will only include Bantu verbs.

Some Verbskuja – to comekula – to eatkulinda – to guardkunywa – to drinkkuona – to seekupenda – to like / lovekusoma – to read, studykutaka – to wantkuzungumza – to chat with, talk tokwenda (kuenda) – to go

In order to get the root verb, simply remove the <ku> (or <kw>). So the root of <kulinda> is <-linda>, the root of <kupenda> is <-penda>. The subject of an indicative verb goes at the beginning, followed by the tense. The direct/indirect follows, then the verb. The verb can be further modified, but for now we are sticking with this pattern.

So to say “I am reading” take the verb <kusoma>, get the root <-soma> and then add the subject (in this case <ni->) and the tense <na> to get <ninasoma> “I am reading”

So the basic break down is subject+tense+(object)+verb

There is one important caveat, though. The tense can never be stressed. So in the case of a root verb being one syllable (such as <-la> from <kula>) in these constructions the infinitive remains. So “you are eating” is not *<unala> but <unakula>.

When it comes to the verb <kwenda>, in proper Swahili the <kw> is dropped. So “She went” should be <alienda>. However, not all speakers drop the <kw>, so hearing <alikwenda> isn’t unlikely, though it isn’t preferred. I’m going to stick to the conventions I was taught, so I will continue to drop the <kw>.

With the Direct Object
I see you – ninakuonani-na-ku-ona
1ps-PRES-2ps-see

You all will like her – mtampendam-ta-m-penda
2pp-FUT-3ps-like

They have come – wamekujawa-me-kuja
3pp-PERF-come

We saw – tulionatu-li-ona
3pp-PAST-see

When the 3rd person singular is the object of a verb with a vowel stem, the object marker is <mw>, not <m>

So “you are guarding her” is <unamlinda> (u-na-m-linda), but “you see her” is <unamwona> (u-na-m-ona). This is because they syllabic <m> in this case has an underlying /ʷ/ which only appears before a vowel.

The basic Swahili sentence structure is SVO. The verb is still concordant with the subject(s) and object(s).

So: “the young woman sees the child” is <msichana anamwona mtoto>
If the object is the 1st or second person, there is no need for an independent pronoun in this simple construction.
So: “the young woman sees me” is <msichana ananiona>

Likewise for the subject.
So: “I see the child” <ninamwona mtoto>

In this construction, definiteness is marked by adding the object into the verb. However, indefiniteness can be conveyed by leaving the object marker out of the verb.
So: “I see a child” is <ninaona mtoto>.

Concord always matches, as well. So “I see them” is <ninawaona>, “I see the children” is <ninawaona watoto>.

A quick note on the Interrogative
Swahili word order doesn’t change to make the interrogative. However, much like many dialects of English, the speaker’s tone raises toward the end of the sentence to indicate that a question is being asked. And, in writing, a question mark is used.

So: “you see her” is <unamwona> where as “do you see her?” is <unamwona?>.

The Modal
Above is the verb <kutaka> “to want”. I added it because there is a simple way to have multiple verbs. Well, in Swahili there are multiple ways, but one way is simple and we can cover it now. The simple way works remarkably like English, in that to say something like “I want to eat” you can say <ninataka kula>.

So you can say things like:
<Ninataka kusoma> “I want to study”
<Ulitaka kwenda> “you wanted to go”
<Mtataka kuja> “you all will want to come”

In the case of something like “I want to see you”, the object is marked on the second verb, so you get <ninataka kukuona> (ni-na-taka ku-ku-ona 1ps-PRES-want INFIN-2ps-see)

<Ulitaka kumwona?> “Did you want to see her?”
<Tumetaka kuwaona> “We have wanted to see all of you”
<Ninataka kukupenda> “I want to love you”
<Mlinzi alitaka kumwona mkunjufu> “the guard wanted to see the cheerful person”
<Mganga anataka kuniona> “the doctor wants to see me”

For the plural, follow the rules above, but also drop the <-a> of the verb stem and add <-eni>
Study! <Someni>
See! <Oneni>
Eat! <Kuleni>

Two important irregularities are with the verbs <kwenda> and <kuja>
<Kwenda> becomes <nenda> in the singular and <nendeni> for the plural.
<Kuja> becomes <njoo> in the singular and <njooni> for the plural.
There isn’t really a pattern here, though there might seem to be. These are just irregular lay overs from older forms of the verbs.

Translate into Swahili
1) The child sees the young woman
2) The student has studied
3) The teacher will eat
4) The young woman wants to see all of you
5) The children wanted to see the guests and the doctor wanted to like us

Translate into English
1) Mganga alimwona mlinzi The doctor saw the guard
2) Waislamu wanataka kula The Muslims want to eat
3) Mnataka kumwona You all want to see him
4) Tutakunywa We will drink you
5) Walinzi wananilinda na wageni wanakuona The guards guard us and the guests see you
(here <na> means “and”)

Translate into Swahili
1) The child sees the young woman Mtoto anamwona msichana
2) The student has studied Mwanafunzi amesoma
3) The teacher will eat Mwalimu atakula
4) The young woman wants to see all of you Msichana anataka kuwaona
5) The children wanted to see the guests and the doctor wanted to like us Watoto walitaka kuwaona wageni na mganga alitaka kutupenda

5) <wanafunzi> wa-nafunzi CL2/ mw-wanafunzi CL1
This is just a little note.

Simple Sentences

Spoiler:

Translate into English
4) Tutakunywa We will drink youHere the verb stem is mono-syllabic <-nywa>, so the infinitive <ku> remains so that the tense isn't the stressed syllable.
"we will drink you" would be <tutakukunywa>. And sounds a little psychotic, hehe

Thakowsaizmu wrote:Simple Sentences
Translate into English
4) Tutakunywa We will drink youHere the verb stem is mono-syllabic <-nywa>, so the infinitive <ku> remains so that the tense isn't the stressed syllable.
"we will drink you" would be <tutakukunywa>. And sounds a little psychotic, hehe

Yeah, I figured/hoped I was missing something here, hahaha! At the time, for whatever reason, -nywa didn't register as monosyllabic for me… I'll try to keep that "don't stress the tense marker" rule closer to the front of my mind in the future.

Noun Class 3 and 4; Possession
Noun classes 3 and 4 generally refer to things of the natural world, like trees and plants, as well as a lot of places and spaces and sacred sites. Also, plenty of other words have ended up in this class, including some animals and terms for people. These classes are also known as the m/mi classes. Nouns of class 3 start with <m->, nouns of class 4 <mi->. There are a couple of exceptions, but this is largely the pattern.

If the stem of a noun in CL3 starts with a vowel, the <m> generally becomes <mw>. However, when the stem starts with an <o>, CL3 is still just <m>. A few words in CL3 start with <mu> instead of <m>. CL4 is always <mi>.

Verbal Concord
The verbal concord for class 3 is <u> in all positions.
The verbal concord for class 4 is <i> in all positions.

Possessives
Possessive pronouns only fully exist for CL1 and CL2. Possessive pronouns are concordant with the noun they modify, and they always follow the noun. For CL1 and CL2, the concord is always <w->

Noun Class 5 and 6
CL5 and CL6 originally contained nouns for groups and augmentation. Like all languages, Swahili’s noun classes became flexible in time, and certain nouns have filtered in. This noun class also contains a few of the more irregular nouns. CL5 is generally marked with <ji->, <j-> or <0>. CL6 is almost always <ma->. These classes are sometimes referred to as the ji/ma class.

Verbs: Applicative; ReflexiveNew Verbs<Kuandika> To write<Kufunza> To teach, educate<Kuleta> To bring<Kupa> To give<Kupokea> To receive<Kununua> To buy

Applicative
The applicative is a verb extension that shifts the direct object to an indirect object, and has a meaning in Swahili of “to (dative), about, for, on behalf of”. The applicative is also one of the places where Swahili’s vowel harmony appears most obviously. Even though we are adding a few more verbs, we will still stick with Bantu verbs for now.

The applicative is added to the end of the stem of the verb. When the verb stem vowel closest to the end of the stem is <a, i, u>, the applicative added is <-i->, when the stem is <e, o> the applicative is <-e->.

To find the stem of a Bantu verb, drop both the <ku-> as indicated above, and the <-a> at the end of the verb. So the stem of <kusoma> is <-som->, <kuandika> is <-andik->; and the stem of <kula> is <-l->. Some verbs lost part of the stem in the base verb, but retain them in the applicative. These verbs are generally verbs that have stems ending in a vowel. Thankfully, the individual stems do not need to be memorized, because the applicative follows a predictable pattern. When a stem ends in a vowel, if the vowel is <a, i, u> the applicative is <-li->, if the vowel is <e, o> the applicative is <-le->.

The <-a> ending is the indicative for Bantu verbs. The indicative is retained in the applicative if the statement is indicative. Meaning that the applicative is an infix.

When the applicative refers to a noun, such as <msichana>, there must be a concordant infix along with the applicative. When the applicative refers to a noun, the noun comes directly after the verb and before the direct object. When the applicative refers to a nouns phrase, the noun phrase comes after the direct object.

<Ninamsomea msichana kitabu> “I am reading a book to the young woman”
<Ninalisomea kitabu paka la msichana> “I am reading a book to the young woman’s large cat”
(<kitabu> “book”)

<Uliniletea jisu> “You brought me a large knife”
<Jitu litalinunulia sunduku paka lake> “The giant will buy a box for her large cat”
<Umelipokelea mfuko jisu lako> “You have received a bag for your large knife”

The Verb <Kupa>
The verb <kupa> is irregular in that even though it is a monosyllabic stem, it is always ditransitive or applicative. It does not take the applicative infix and it does not retain the <ku> when declined, unlike other monosyllabic stems. This is because <kupa> always requires an indirect object infix, which unlike tense, can be stressed.

The Reflexive
The reflexive is an infix in Swahili, occupying the object slot. No matter the subject, the reflexive infix is <-ji->.
Some verbs change meaning with the reflexive, such as <kufunza> “to teach, educate” with the reflexive becomes <kujifunza> “to learn”. For example: <Ninajifunza kusoma> “I am learning to read”.

Mifano
<Ninajiona> “I see myself”
<Mnajiona> “You see yourselves”
<Tutajiona> “We will see ourselves”
<Ulijiandikia mfano> “You wrote yourself an example”
<Paka limejinawa> “The large cat has cleaned itself”
(<kunawa> “to wash part of the body”)

1) <Nilitaka kukuandikia> I wanted to write for/to(?) you
2) <Majoka yamekuletea sanduku> The large snakes have brought you a box
3) <Tutamnunulia msichana paka> We will buy the young woman a large cat

Translate the following into Swahili

1) Did you buy a loaf of bread for them? Uliwanunulia mkate?
2) The giant bought a large knife for the guard. Jitu lilimnunulia mlinzi jisu.
3) The large cat gave me a happy person. Paka lilinipa mkunjufu.

3) <atakupa> a-ta-ku-p-a / 3s-FUT-2ps-give-INDRemember, <kupa> always requires an indirect object, so in this case the <ku> is not the monosyllabic helper syllable, but the second person singular. Because <kupa> always takes an object, there is no need to keep the infinitive <ku>

Identify the tense: <mtataka> future
Identify the subject: <alikupenda> 3SG(CL1)
Identify the object: <mmetuona> 1PL
Translate all three.
1) You guys will want
2) He/she loved you (SG)
3) You guys have seen us

Translate into Swahili
1) The child sees the young woman -> Mtoto anamwona msichana.
2) The student has studied -> Mwanafunzi amesoma.
3) The teacher will eat -> Mwalimu atakula.
4) The young woman wants to see all of you -> Msichana anataka kuwaona.
5) The children wanted to see the guests and the doctor wanted to like us -> Watoto waliwaona wageni na mganga alitaka kutupenda.

kanejam wrote:Is there any reason that, say, classes 1 and 2 are separate classes rather than the singular and plural of a single class? I wouldn't, for example, say that French has 4 genders.

Not all of the classes are for differentiating singular and plural, some of them also represent placement or incountability. Also, it makes it easier to explain and group concord, which will come up more and more as we go.

Test OneNoun Class

Spoiler:

4) <Waislamu> CL2Nationalities and religions are usually a special case, so CL2 retains the <a> here.

Simple Sentences

Spoiler:

4) Tutakunywa -> We will drinkyou (?)The stem of the verb "to drink" is <-nywa>, which is monosyllabic in Swahili. So retaining the <ku-> infinitive is necessary, because stress cannot be placed on these tenses, same as <kula>

5) The children wanted to see the guests and the doctor wanted to like us -> Watoto waliwaonawalitaka kuwaona wageni na mganga alitaka kutupenda.You missed the "want" part

Test TwoIdentify the verb stem

Spoiler:

2) <tumemsomea> tu-me-m-som-e-a 1PL-PERF-CL1-read-APPL-INDICThe applicative isn't always used in the indicative, so it is necessary to know where they break.

3) <atakupa> a-ta-kup-a CL1-FUT-2psgive-IND<kupa> is special in that although it is a monosyllabic word, it must always take an object (which can be stressed), so the infinitive is not necessary. Therefore, here, the <ku> is not an infinitive, but the second person singular object.

Verbs: Negation
This lesson will cover the negative form of all the verb forms we have learned so far, aside from negative command form, because that is related to a form we haven’t learned yet. Swahili verbs get interesting in the negative. Noun class 1 is the most irregular of the negative verb forms, but after a little practice the forms are all pretty regular. Blah blah blah, get to the lesson, monkey.

Pretty much all negative forms take the prefix <ha-> in all tenses. The only irregularities are in CL1. The tenses, however, change in the negative form.

Present Tense Negative
The present tense negative is where things perhaps differ the most. There is no tense infix. Instead, in Bantu verbs, the final indicative <-a> becomes <-i>. Because there is no tense infix, the first syllable can be stressed, meaning monosyllabic verbs drop the <ku-> in the negative present tense.

Past Tense Negative
The past tense returns to the normal formula of an infix. The negative concord is still necessary (so 1st person past negative starts with <si->, CL6 past negative starts with <haya->). The negative past tense is <ku>. This is different from the infinitive and the second person singular object. However, this tense can be stressed in monosyllabic verbs. So <Nilikula> becomes <Sikula> for negation.

Future Tense Negative
The future tense negative is very simple. Just add the negative prefix to an otherwise future tense verb.
<Nitakuona> “I will see you”
<Sitakuona> “I won’t see you”
<Tutamnunulia msichana mkate> “We will buy the young woman a loaf of bread”
<Hatutamnunulia msichana mkate> “We won’t buy the young woman a loaf of bread”

Perfect Negative
The negative perfect in Swahili generally translates as “not yet” or “haven’t yet”. The infix is <-ja->, and follows the normal rules for tense infixes. Like all other negatives, the negative concord is still necessary. This tense infix may also be stressed, like the negative <ku> infix above.

Verbs: To Be, To Have
In Swahili the verb for “to be” is somewhat irregular, and the verb “to have” is an extension of “to be”. The verb “to be” is <kuwa> and the verb “to have” is <kuwa na> (if you recall, <na> above can mean “and”. It can also mean “with” or “too”; as well as “by means of” but that comes later)

Present tense
In the present tense, positive indicative, “to be” is <ni> in all concords.

So:
<Mimi ni> “I am”
<Yeye ni> “S/he is”
<Paka ni> “The large cat is”

In the present tense, negative indicative, “to be” is <si> in all concords.

Swahili also has verbs for “in/at a place”. These verbs are also extensions of <kuwa>. There are three of them, and in the present tense they follow the same pattern as “to have” (there is one difference. I’ll go over it).

These verbs are: <kuwapo>, <kuwako> and <kuwamo>
<Kuwapo> means something along the lines of “to be here, there, be somewhere close and likely seeable”
<Kuwako> means something like “to be there, placed there, near, at, by, on”
<Kuwamo> means something akin to “to be inside a place, on top of something”

<Kuwapo> and <kuwako> both have a generalness to them, whereas <kuwamo> is much more definite. <Kuwako> refers to indefinite locations, and is also often used with questions.

Examples:
<Uko wapi?> “Where are you?”
<Upo msikitini> “You are at the Mosque”
<Umo msikitini> “You are inside the Mosque”
(<wapi> “where”; <-ni> “locative form.” The locative form changes the CL to CL17, regardless of the original class. CL17 concord is <ku-/kw->)

The 3ps is not *apo etc. but yupo. This change is most common in the present tense of the location verbs, but can pop up in other places (such as in the title these lessons). The other usage will be explained later.

This is the same for the past negative. Remember that the negative past infix <-ku-> can be stressed, and therefore takes the place of the infinitive <ku->
<Sikuwa> “I wasn’t”
<Sikuwa na> “I didn’t have”
<Sikuwapo> “I wasn’t here”
<Sikuwako> “I wasn’t there”
<Sikuwamo> “I wasn’t in there”

The Future
Again, the future tense follows the same lines as the past, and as other verbs.
<Joka litakuwa> “The large snake will be”
<Joka litakuwa na> “The large snake will have”
<Joka litakuwapo> “The large snake will be here”
<Joka litakuwako> “The large snake will be there”
<Joka litakuwamo> “The large snake will be inside”

Because the infix <-ta-> cannot be stressed, even in the negative, the infinitive <ku-> is still necessary.
<Joka halitakuwa> “The large snake will not be”
<Joka halitakuwa na> “The large snake will not have”
<Joka halitakuwapo> “The large snake will not be here”
<Joka halitakuwako> “The large snake will not be there”
<Joka halitakuwamo> “The large snake will not be inside”

The Perfect
<Kuwa> follows the predictable pattern here as well.
<Mmekuwa> “You all have been”
<Mmekuwa na> “You all have had”
<Mmekuwapo> “You all have been here”
<Mmekuwako> “You all have been there”
<Mmekuwamo> “You all have been inside”

The negative infix <-ja-> can be stressed, so the infinitive <ku-> is not necessary.
<Hamjawa> “You all have not been yet”
<Hamjawa na> “You all have not had yet”
<Hamjawapo> “You all have not been here yet”
<Hamjawako> “You all have not been there yet”
<Hamjawamo> “You all have not been inside yet”

Note:
Some speakers of Swahili conjugate the placement verbs with an <-e-> in place of <-a-> before the placement suffix. So some people will say <nilikuweko> instead of <nilikuwako>. Largely this is up to the speaker’s preference. I learned it with the <-a->, so that’s what I stick with.

Also, some speakers retain the infinitive form in the negative perfect, example: <sijakuwa> instead of <sijawa>. Although the form without the infinitive is technically correct, this too is up to the individual speaker.